Does Psoriasis Cause Hair Loss?

Don't Miss This

I have lost hair because of my psoriasis. Does this condition cause permanent hair loss?

Psoriasis has never caused permanent hair loss, to my knowledge. Some inflammatory conditions may scar the skin, which can lead to hair loss, but psoriasis does not scar.

There are two scenarios I can imagine by which psoriasis could be involved in temporary hair loss. First, if there is psoriasis on the scalp, the inflammation may interfere with normal growth and regeneration of hairs. Secondly, a severe flare of psoriasis on the body may lead to a type of hair loss that is linked to major stress on the body (called telogen effluvium).

Either way, the hair should return unless some other factor is at play.

Last Updated: 6/9/2008

Psoriasis expert Dr. Daniel Pearce is a dermatologist and assistant professor in the dermatology department of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina.

This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.

Advertising Notice

This Site and third parties who place advertisements on this Site may collect and use information about
your visits to this Site and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of
interest to you. If you would like to obtain more information about these advertising practices and to make
choices about online behavioral advertising, please click here.